A professor at Gonzaga University is disputing a claim by
the administration regarding the status of the Knights of Columbus chapter on the
school’s Spokane, Washington campus.

Last month, GU denied
a Knights of Columbus group official club status on the grounds that
requiring members be Catholic violated the school’s non-discrimination policy; Gonzaga
issued
a statement in which it said President
Thayne McCulloh will be reviewing the Student Life division’s decision. The
statement also claimed, “The Knights of
Columbus College Council (#12583) is already present within the student body
and receives support from the administration.”

That assertion has been
disputed by Dr. Eric Cunningham, a history professor at GU, the assistant
director of the school’s Catholic Studies Program, and the faculty member
advising the KofC group. Cunningham told Catholic News Agency that GU is not,
in fact, supporting the Knights in any way.

“If they've been denied club status, the only way they exist
here is that the members of the Knights of Columbus council are enrolled here,”
Cunningham stated. …

Cunningham has noticed that the council is “listed in our
advertising materials,” specifically in a brochure “that goes out to parents”
showing the group listed as a student organization.

“So in other words, we're kind of using them as recruiting
tool, telling parents that we have a Knights of Columbus council that their
sons can certainly join if they come here.” …

Cunningham understands that roughly $1000 of the council's
funds had been frozen by the Gonzaga student body association, and he said that
“what I hear from the membership, is that hasn't been returned yet.”

“Not only are they not being supported, they haven't had
their money returned to them. There's no official support.”

Cunningham has been associated with the council since 2006,
and noted that he has made available to them the Catholic studies house, after
“they were asked by the director of university ministry to stop meeting there.”

“They don't have a chapter house, they were actually asked to
stop meeting in the house they had been using. So I'd really love to know what
Gonzaga is defining as support for the campus council.”

As with any college campus,
Gonzaga includes among its students serious religious believers, including
Christians, Jews, and Muslims. Because they take their faith seriously  that
is, they believe that their faith is not only true but its communities and
practices essential to moral and spiritual formation  they desire fellowship
with others within their tradition and strive to become better examples of
authentic faith.

Because of
the nature of the religious faith embraced by these students  and the
differences between men and women that most of these faith traditions
rightfully acknowledge and celebrate  certain types of spiritual and moral
formation simply cannot be accomplished in settings that are ecumenical and/or
in mixed company.

By not
offering these students an opportunity to organize groups that accomplish these
ends, Gonzaga effectively marginalizes these students, suggesting to the wider
public that their religious interests are illegitimate, not worthy of being
part of the Gonzaga community and its conversation about the good, the true,
and the beautiful.

Consequently,
although one of its vice presidents states that the university desires “to
create and maintain an environment in which none are excluded,” it in fact
excludes, and it does so by implying that those who are excluded harbor
antipathy toward social justice and equity.

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